Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act Is Signed; Vast Improvements from Original Version

And other legislative updates in this month’s Up the Street

THIS MONTH IN ANNAPOLIS

Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act Becomes Law; Blueprint Implementation Proceeds

With the governor’s signature on May 6, the 2025 Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act will go into effect on July 1, establishing reforms to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future that came about following much back and forth between the administration, the Senate and House, and education stakeholders including MSEA. Alternatives to the administration’s originally proposed changes to the law better protect funding for the state’s most vulnerable students while pushing out the cost curve in the face of federally catalyzed fiscal crises.

“The final bill is a significant improvement over where this conversation began in January,” MSEA President Paul Lemle said about the legislation. “We were able to avoid the near-immediate, outsized cuts to expected funding for students in poverty and multilingual learners, in particular, and we protected the critical expansion of community schools and supports for students in concentrated poverty.”

“We must continue to stand together in the face of challenges to our state’s economy and further destabilizing actions from the Trump Administration in order to make sure that every student in Maryland has the opportunity to pursue their dreams in their neighborhood public school.”

Blueprint Oversight Board, Advisory Committees Seek Applicants

Nominees are wanted for the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) that oversees the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and for AIB advisory committees associated with each of the Blueprint’s five pillars: early childhood education, high quality and diverse workforce, career and technology education, resources for underserved students, and Blueprint governance and accountability.

The seven-member AIB has three places to fill. Terms for current members Laura Stapleton and Joseph Manko expire July 1, 2025, and member Mara Doss is resigning from a term that expires July 1, 2026. Stapleton is not seeking reappointment. All prospective members must complete the application here to be considered. The application period is open through 5 p.m. on June 12.

At the Nominating Committee’s May 15 meeting, AIB Nominating Committee Vice Chair and former MSEA President Cheryl Bost reflected on the sometimes “daunting” challenge to find candidates, and she urged the public to encourage qualified people to apply.

The committee must submit six names to the governor for consideration, and ideally candidates will ensure the AIB membership reflects the state demographically. The committee will work in closed session to review applications before identifying six names to forward for the governor’s consideration. Only the names forwarded to the governor will be made public.

Nominees are also wanted to serve on the five advisory committees. Information regarding advisory committee responsibilities and the application and nomination process is here. Nominations are due to the AIB email, [email protected], by 11:59 p.m. on June 11, and applications are due on June 20.

AIB Welcomes Public Comment on Blueprint Implementation

Before the AIB reaches its August 1 deadline to make annual changes to the Blueprint, the public has an opportunity to comment. The AIB is accepting comment on any aspect of the Blueprint. Written comments may be submitted here, and people may register to speak at upcoming public meetings, listed on the AIB website here.

Among the updates in progress is a memorandum of understanding between the  AIB and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to clarify their roles overseeing the Blueprint’s implementation. The AIB would retain responsibility for approving implementation plans, and “MSDE will be fully owning Blueprint implementation,” according to Alex Reese, MSDE chief of staff.

Fresh Analysis Clarifies This Year’s Tax Reform Benefits

The 2025 session included a major reform to the state’s income tax code, ensuring that more high-income earners and big corporations pay their fair share. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) analyzed the tax policy, including progressive effects of the new income tax rates, sales tax, fees, and deductions. The new code is expected to yield an additional $580 million revenue annually, with more than 80% of that coming from the wealthiest 1% of Marylanders. Key elements ITEP identified in the tax code:

NEWS AND NOTES

House Republicans Pass Trump Budget that Diverts Millions from Public Schools

The National Education Association (NEA) is leading a fight to prevent President Trump’s proposed federal budget from devastating funding for the nation’s most vulnerable students and cutting federal programs that have been the backbone for teacher preparation, professional development, and diversity recruitment. House Republicans passed the budget bill that:

The proposed K-12 Simplified Funding Program would replace nearly 20 separate grants with a $2 billion block grant that will loosen guarantees that traditional (non-charter) public schools receive funding instead of private schools. The proposed budget would cut or eliminate critical programs that enable schools and districts to serve free school meals to all students, provide summer meals, and use science-based nutrition standards.

Further benefiting private schools at the expense of public schools, the bill increases tax breaks for those who donate to intermediary organizations that funnel the money to private schools as tuition and increases the tax benefits for those who donate stocks.

Public schools, which serve 90% of all students, lose when funding is diverted, and the private schools do not have to provide the same protections to their students that public schools are required to, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who receive special education services at private schools would also lose some of their legal rights and protections.

Trump Administration Can’t Close Education Department  

The U.S. Education Department cannot close, must reinstate fired workers, and should keep administering the programs under its authority while a number of court cases proceed, the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled on Wednesday. The 1st Circuit court upheld the injunction issued by a Massachusetts federal judge who blocked President Trump’s closing of the Department of Education. The Massachusetts court found that only Congress could take such an action. The Massachusetts judge’s ruling in favor of 21 attorneys general, including Maryland’s Anthony Brown, required reinstating the 1,300 employees who were fired and resuming departmental operations that oversee student loans, nutrition programs, and special education services.

At the time of the Massachusetts injunction, Brown said it “ensures Maryland schools and students will get the resources they need while we continue the fight for our children’s future in court.”

SCOTUS Split Stops First Religious Public Charter School from Opening

A split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has stopped the nation’s first public religious charter school from proceeding. The Catholic Church in Oklahoma wanted the taxpayers to fund the church’s online charter school, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s 4-4 decision leaves intact the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that such a school would violate the state’s constitution. Public charter schools should uphold the same values and meet the same standards expected of all public schools, and public funds should not be diverted to private schools.

State Retirement System’s New Governance to Oversee Strategic Vision, Responsible Investing

The Maryland State Retirement System has a new governance manager to implement responsible investing practices. The agency stated that Edward Kamonjoh has been hired senior corporate governance manager to “oversee the strategic execution of the system’s governance program, including proxy voting, the integration of material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment due diligence, and board-level engagement initiatives.”

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Elections Result in Educator Re-elected as Mayor of Westminster, Educator-Recommended Candidate Elected County Executive

As expected, educator-recommended Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy cruised to victory this week in the special election to determine the county’s next county executive. As of press time, Braveboy had secured 90% of the vote in the election. Shayla Adams-Stafford won the special election for the single county council seat that was also filled.

Last month, Mona Becker, a Carroll County Education Association member, was re-elected as mayor  of Westminster. As part of the group of elected educators in a wide variety of offices, Becker is in a position to bring an educator’s wisdom and experience to public policy.